Note: This story is more than 3 years old.

CBP officers seize $285K in narcotics in Nogales

A U.S. citizen and a Mexican national were arrested and more than 44 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine combined were seized Friday in two separate incidents at the Nogales port of entry, officials said.

Customs and Border Protection officers were doing a secondary inspection of a Pontiac sedan when drug-sniffing dogs alerted them to a hidden compartment under the front seat. They removed 8 packages of cocaine and 10 packages of meth from the compartment. The 31 pounds of cocaine is worth more than $214, 000 and the 11 pounds of meth is worth about $34,000, a news release said.

The Pontiac was driven by a 66-year-old SENTRI program member from Nogales, Arizona. The driver's SENTRI document — which provides expedited CBP processing for pre-approved, low-risk
travelers — was revoked, and the driver was referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the release said.

A short time later, officers were doing a secondary inspection of a Chevrolet sedan, driven by a 23-year-old man from Sonora, Mexico, when drug dogs again alerted them to narcotics. This time, officers found 12 pounds of meth, worth about $37,000, in compartments in the car's rocker panels.

The driver was referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the release said.

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